Reminder: 3rd Annual Cathy Watts Memorial Slow Roll – Tonight 6PM

At 6PM, we’ll be gathering at d’Lish by Tish for an art tour by bicycle to remember and honour our past co-chair, the OG “Biking Gramma”, the indomitable, the warm, the wonderful Cathy Watts. She was a tireless advocate for bicycle use and safety in Saskatoon, and helped shape the diverse and ever growing community of riders we see in the city today.

2023 has been a painful year for all of us. The deaths of Natasha Fox and Darin Kinniewess weigh heavily on our shoulders and in our minds, and we’re certain that if Cathy were still alive, she’d be carrying a disproportionately large share, just to make it easier on others. And she’d probably bring baking to distract us.

Come join us to reflect on people no longer here, but still with us in a different way, and consider some of the words from Cathy’s obituary, published Sept. 11, 2020:

“… The very first time I got on a bike it was like no other feeling. For a lot of my life cycling wasn’t much in style. Certainly not in winter. At some point I thought, ‘I need to change this!”

When I became co-chair of Saskatoon Cycles 10 years ago, I believed the city’s geography was perfect for year-round cycling. I dreamed we could become one of the best bike cities in the world. I was a happy agitator at city council, always trying to convince the people in charge that a bicycle is a simple solution to a complex problem.

… Now I am on another journey. If I go to heaven, I don’t intend to rest. I’ll be looking for bike lanes and if I don’t find any, there will be hell to pay.

So, if you are reading this, don’t be sad and certainly don’t send flowers. Here’s what I want you to do instead. Support my beloved Saskatoon Cycles, because there’s still a lot of work to do. Then get on a bike, head for a trail and feel what it’s like to be free.”